Contact: Kara O’Keeffe
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July 10, 2018

Wisconsin National History Day Students Take Home Prizes at the National Competition

Madison, Wis. - National History Day (NHD) students from Wisconsin had a successful time at the National level this past June. Students from across the state traveled to the University of Maryland’s campus to compete in the National History Day Contest. At Nationals, 58 students representing 26 Wisconsin schools competed against about 3,100 students from across the country.

“National History Day in Wisconsin had a fantastic 2018 contest season,” said Jenny Kalvaitis, Wisconsin Historical Society coordinator of secondary education and coordinator for the National History Day program in Wisconsin. “At every level, NHD empowers students to discover the importance of history. From our volunteers and judges to our amazing donors, we make a huge impact on nearly 10,000 students in Wisconsin.”

Team Wisconsin represented us well and brought home the following honors.

Top 10 finishers in the nation and special awards:

• Lilian Jochmann (Milwaukee)—2^nd Place Junior Individual Website “Opening the Door for Compromise: Davis v Bandemer and the Conflict Over Partisan Gerrymandering”
• Hannah Mason and Katherine Stoneman (Madison)—5^th  Place Junior Group Documentary “Living With the Iron Curtain: The Conflict and Compromise of the Cold War in Europe”
• Josh Elkin (Wales)—5^th Place Junior Paper and WWII History Award for “Altruism During History’s Darkest Hour: Varian Fry’s Refusal to Compromise Despite Perpetual Conflict”
• Yefang Lee and Lily Thao (Wausau)—7^th Place Senior Group Documentary and Asian American History Award for “The Acculturation of the Hmong: Wausau Partner Schools Conflict”
• Ava Wales (Glendale)—8^th Place Senior Individual Website “Conflict and Compromise: The Job of a Network Censor”
• Pope Kanne (Middleton)—9^th Place Senior Individual Website “Ford vs Unions: Conflict and Compromise”
• Naomi Jansson (Racine)—10^th Place Junior Individual Documentary “Dmitri Shostakovich: The Sound of Silenced Voices”

Scholarship winner:

• Cecelia Zielke (Kohler)—NHD Scholarship to Case Western Reserve University in Ohio (four years, full tuition), Senior Group Exhibit and Normandy Scholar

Wisconsin affiliate prizewinners:

• Grace Holmgren (Oconto)—Junior Individual Website “The Toledo War: Wisconsin’s Loss of the Northern Territory”
• Miranda Ratayczak (Cedarburg)—Senior Paper “Diversity Despite Adversity: The Stonewall Uprising of 1969”

Documentary showing in the Oprah Winfrey Theater at the National African American Museum of History and Culture:

• Trinity Jackson and Megan Palmisano (Milwaukee)—Senior Group Documentary “We Demand Fair Housing!”

Exhibit Showcase at the National Museum of American History:

• Ava Groskreutz (Wales)—Junior Individual Exhibit “The Conflict and Failed Compromise of the Patrick Cudahy Labor Strikes”

“The Wisconsin delegation not only accomplished wonderful things academically on this very competitive national stage, but they also are simply amazing kids,” continued Kalvaitis. “The Society and NHD could not have asked for better Wisconsin history ambassadors!”

For more information on the National History Day program, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org/NHD

About Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.

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